Chapter 2: Unexpected

9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Proverbs 17:9

"Hayley I am so sorry I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of everyone!" Lynne cried out as she stood in front of the now locked door that led to her shared bedroom.

"I don't care! You knew I didn't like being put on the spot like that and having my first kiss taken away from me!" Hayley cried out as she sulked on her bed.

"Well, technically it wasn't a kiss on the lips it was just on the cheek."

"Even so, you didn't have to make him kiss me in front of everyone! How cruel are you?!"

"I wasn't trying to be cruel I was just trying to loosen you up. You know, try to have fun and not be so uptight all the time."

"Still, why did you have to suggest THAT of all things huh? WHY?! JUST WHY?!"

"She does have a point you know," Tasha said as she stood beside Lynne with a disapproving expression. "That was rather reckless and unnecessarily humiliating."

"I know," Lynne responded with regret and shame. "I didn't think Hayley would react that badly to something as simple as a kiss."

"Well you should have!" Hayley yelled from inside her room. "You know I take kisses very seriously, especially first kisses, yet you insisted that I go through with it anyway!"

"Hayley please!" Lynne begged. "I'm so sorry! I promise I'll never pull something like that again! I promise I swear!"

"How do I know you can be trusted huh? How do I know you won't put me through something that humiliating again?" Hayley asked with anger in her tone.

"Because she's your friend!" Tasha exclaimed, causing both of them to be silent. "Look, Hayley. The only reason why she invited you to partake in the game and even brought you to the party was so you could have fun for once instead of putting your nose in those books all the time. Yes, Lynne may have taken it a bit too far when it came to you being put on the spot but she only did it because she wanted you to have fun that's all. Come on Hayley, you know Lynne. She would never do anything to hurt you on purpose. She's not that selfish or cruel."

"Yeah Hayley!" Lynne cried out. "You know me! I'm supposed to be your fun-loving friend! I would never do anything to actually hurt you!"

After a tense silence, the door eventually opened with Hayley standing behind the crack with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Can I trust you on that?" she asked in a tone still suspicious towards Lynne.

"Of course you can!" Lynne responded. "Say, how about we go to Central Mall tomorrow where can get anything you want? My treat!"

"So you're resorting to bribery now in order to gain my forgiveness?" Hayley asked dryly.

"WHAT?! NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I-"

Tasha could see that Hayley was actually smiling in amusement while Lynne rambled over what she meant and was relieved to see that Hayley wasn't going to stay mad at her friend forever. When Lynne saw Hayley's grin, she frowned for a moment before laughing, causing the others to join in as well. Hayley then opened the door wide enough so Lynne could finally come in. Since it was already late, the 2 roommates bid their friend farewell while she went back to her house where she shared it with the rest of her sorority members.

The next morning, the 3 ladies met up with each other at the campus' food court before heading out for their day trip at Central Mall. Before they could leave however, they had to stop by the bookstore near the school's campus known as "Reader's Study Bookstore" as Hayley needed to get something from there.

"Sorry guys, I want to see if they have that final issue to that book series I've been reading," she explained as they headed there.

"Let me guess, 'The Cabell Family in Another World'?" Tasha asked in a teasing tone.

"Well duh," Hayley replied good-naturedly. "You know I love that series!"

"Well considering how often you read them before and after class I'm not surprised in the least," Tasha pointed out, causing Hayley to stick her tongue out in response.

"Whatever, I'll be back in a few minutes so don't worry," Hayley responded before entering the store.

The bell rang the moment she entered the store as she saw the manager of the store, Bethany Spinks, who happened to be helping her employees with the cash register.

"Oh hey, there's my favorite customer!" Bethany said as she waved to Hayley who waved back in return.

"Hey Bethany," she replied. "I'm just going to be here for a bit. Do you have that final volume of The Cabell Family series?"

"Sure we do!" Bethany replied. "It's in the Teen Section aisle near the back corner over there."

"Thanks," Hayley replied as she went to the aisle in question to search for the final volume. As she searched for the final volume there, she didn't notice a familiar figure approaching her from behind. It should be here somewhere, where is it? She thought to herself as she continued searching for the volume she needed.

"Need any help miss?" a male voice asked, causing Hayley to become annoyed and turn around.

"No thank you I'm doing just fi-"

She immediately stopped what she was going to say as she immediately recognized Zane, the man who tried to kiss her last night. He still gave her that casual smile that irritated her as it seemed as though he was mocking her. The fact that he seemed to be looming over her didn't make it any better for her.

"YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Hayley screeched, causing Zane to jump back a bit in mild surprise. "HOW DID YOU EVEN FIND ME HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?! Unless.... of course! YOU WERE STALKING ME WEREN'T YOU?!"

"What NO!" Zane cried out in shock.

"YES YOU WERE!" Hayley exclaimed as she pointed her finger at him accusingly. "YOU WERE JUST WAITING FOR THE PERFECT CHANCE TO STRIKE AND ATTACK ME WEREN'T YOU?! OH I BET YOU WERE JUST DYING FOR THE CHANCE TO CLAIM ME FOR YOURSELF YOU LECHEROUS PIG AND FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED! I SHOULD CALL THE POLICE FOR THIS AND HAVE YOU ARRE-"

"HAYLEY HE WORKS HERE!" Bethany cried out, causing both Zane and Hayley to turn to her. Bethany herself did not appreciate Hayley yelling at Zane and spouting meaningless accusations, especially since her screaming was disturbing the other customers and making a scene.

"Wait, what?" Hayley responded.

"He's an employee at our store and was on his shift today. That's why he was here!" Bethany explained in an exasperated tone.

"It's true," Zane said. "I was working here today and had no idea you were coming."

"But if you were working here this whole time why didn't I see you before?" Hayley asked suspiciously.

"Because we hired him 2 weeks ago!" Bethany explained. "There was a job opening that we posted last month and he was the first to apply for the position and pass the interview. He has shown himself to be an honest and diligent worker with no criminal record whatsoever."

"Oh... I see..." Hayley responded in an embarrassed tone as she realized that she severely misunderstood the situation. "I am so sorry for this, Bethany. And to you too, Zane."

"It's fine," Zane replied in a casual tone. "It's not like we expected to see each other again and so soon."

"Look, I don't know what happened between you two but I would appreciate it if you keep this to yourselves or better yet OUTSIDE of the store please?" Bethany asked in irritation. "As for you Hayley, I would advise you to not cause a scene like this again or else." As she said this, she turned around and walked away with a huff, leaving the 2 of them alone to stand awkwardly. After a few seconds of silence, Zane decided to speak up.

"So...." he began as he scratched his neck in an awkward fashion. "Were you looking for something here?"

"Y-Yes," Hayley responded in a tone equally awkward. "I was just looking for the final volume of the Cabell Family series. I was told that it would be here."

"Oh you read that series too?" Zane asked in excitement. "So do I!"

"You do?" Hayley asked incredulously.

"Well of course, it's one of my favorites!" Zane responded.

"Then you can help me find it?" Hayley asked hopefully.

"Sure, it's actually right here," he responded as he reached out for the top parts of the shelf and pulled out the book in question. Turns out it was placed a bit high for Hayley to reach and she didn't get a chance to find it due to it having been placed behind one of the other Cabell Family volumes. "Here you go."

"Um thanks?" Hayley responded as she took the book from him and saw that it was indeed the final volume. "And again, sorry about the whole mess earlier."

"Eh, it's no big deal," he responded with a shrug.

Hayley was surprised by how forgiving and casual he was towards her, especially since he was a fraternity leader who took his role very seriously and was slapped by her in a fit of anger and panic. Guilt began to grow in her heart as she realized that maybe she acted a bit too rashly yesterday and that she should apologize for that as well. However, because she had to leave now and didn't want to stir up any more trouble lest she get kicked out of the bookstore, she decided to bid him farewell.

"Well then... bye!"

As she said this, she immediately ran towards the cashier, leaving Zane standing at the aisle with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Hayley then paid for the book before leaving the store as quickly as she could. She saw that her friends were still standing outside of the store though they now had concerned expressions on their faces, making Hayley realize that they must have overheard what happened.

"Hayley what happened in there?" Lynne asked with worry. "We overheard screaming from inside the store earlier."

"Oh that," Hayley responded with cheeks flushing from embarrassment. "It's kind of a funny story..."

As she explained who she met and the misunderstanding that entailed, along with her screaming, the other girls were surprised to hear this.

"Wow, so Zane works here now?" Tasha replied in surprise. "I had no idea."

"Me neither," Hayley responded. "I didn't even see him here 2 weeks ago. Must have been working at different shift."

"Probably," Lynne agreed. "Though it is a strange coincidence that you ended up meeting him again especially given what happened last night. He didn't get mad at you did he?"

"No surprisingly," Hayley recalled. "He seemed really friendly if a bit too casual about what happened yesterday and today. Though I'm a bit worried that he secretly hates me or something."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Tasha replied. "From what Janine told me, he is known for being very reasonable and forgiving but only towards any minor mistakes or slights. I highly doubt he's going to hold a grudge against you for slapping him and yelling at him in public."

"I hope so," Hayley responded. "I feel like I should apologize to him later though."

"Maybe another time," Lynne said. "Now come on! The mall isn't going anywhere!"

"Right," the other 2 responded as they followed after Lynne and went to the nearest bus stop.

Hopefully I can find the right time to make it up to him or something, Hayley thought to herself as she and her friends boarded the nearest bus that took them straight to Central Mall.

Central Mall was one of the biggest malls that ever existed in the Lockdale, the town which Emerald College was stationed in. It was known for its many stores and restaurants that filled the vast amount of space within the building and even had its own bus/train stations. It was especially popular with students (especially ones that were either in high school or college/university) as it was pretty close to where they lived and was convenient enough for them to shop to. With the bus taking them there in about 15 minutes, the 3 girls were able to arrive at their destination and enter the mall. It seemed even larger compared to the outside as the interior was smooth yet vast enough for them to see the many stores that resided in this place.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Lynne asked Hayley who pondered over her choice.

"Hmm.... I was thinking that maybe we could get some new scented candles for our room. And maybe some more cleaning supplies if possible," Hayley responded.

"Okay then," Tasha responded. "Let's go!"

The 3 of them went around the various stores that sold the products that they needed. Hayley was able to find some scented candles that were mint and vanilla flavored while Lynne herself found a neat plunger as the one that they had in their dorm room didn't seem to be working properly. Soap, shampoo, conditioner and deodorant was also bought by them as they needed to restock them back in the dormitory. As for Tasha, she bought a new comb (as her old one broke) and a makeup kit that came with a small compact mirror. Overall, it was a decent shopping experience and Hayley didn't even need to pull out her wallet as Lynne made good on her promise to buy them whatever they needed. After approximately 4 hours of shopping and exploring, they decided to eat linner (lunch and dinner) at the food court where they were currently standing in line to order some burgers, drinks, fries and ice cream if possible. What they didn't know was that standing in front of the person that was standing in line was a group of familiar boys who also happened to be waiting for their order as well. Hayley didn't realize it until the man who was standing in front of them had his phone ring and was forced to pick it up.

"Oh crap, looks like it's important," the man said as he quickly moved out of the line. "Here you ladies can take my spot I need to take this call."

"Okay thanks," Lynne said as she and the other 2 girls saw the man walk away, leaving the group standing in front of them exposed.

Upon closer inspection, Hayley slowly recognized the man standing in front of her and had her eyes widen with dread as she didn't think he would be here of all places. Please don't turn around, please don't turn around, please don't turn around! Unfortunately, as if fate was once again playing a cruel joke, the man in front of her turned around and revealed himself to be Zane.

"AH!" Hayley cried out in shock as she saw Zane stare her in the eyes and give her what appeared to be a smirk.

"Good to see you too," Zane replied.

15 minutes later...

"It's nice to meet you again!" Tasha said as she took a sip from her drink. "Never expected to see you here of all places though."

"Well, me and the boys decided to visit this mall and see if we could get early dinner here now that I finished my shift," Zane replied as he took a bite of his cheeseburger.

"Still it was oddly coincidental that we ended up at the exact same location," Lynne pointed out.

"True, but at least we got to eat together," Mikey stated as he chowed down on his burger. "Still, I'm surprised we got to see each other again after what happened last night."

"Mikey can you not chew with your mouth open? Please?" Mikey's friend, Elis Stadler responded with exasperation. "We don't need to you making a mess again like last time."

"Oh," Mikey responded before swallowing his food. "Sorry hehe."

"Disgusting," Hayley complained as she ate one of her fries from the poutine that she ordered.

"So what brings you ladies here today?" Zane asked out of curiosity. "Me and the boys were looking for some paint as we're currently renovating one of the rooms in our house."

"Really?" Tasha asked in surprise. "I didn't know you were renovating at all."

"Oh yeah, it's a sort of project we're doing," Elis explained. "We're trying to fix up one of the rooms so it can be a sort of lounge for all of us."

"I see, fascinating," Tasha responded. "What do you think Hayley?"

"Huh?" Hayley said as she was somewhat distracted by her own thoughts. "Oh um... it sounds very nice."

"Thanks," Zane responded. "Maybe we can show you girls later once we're finished with the renovation."

"Really? That would be awesome!" Lynne exclaimed.

"Did you manage to find the right paint you were looking for?" Tasha asked.

"We managed to get one of them," Elis replied. "Though the other color that we needed was unavailable so we're going somewhere else after this."

"Oh okay then," Lynne said. "It was nice to see you guys again. Maybe we can hang out some time later?"

"Sure! I'd be up for that!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Sounds good," Zane replied as he finished his meal. He then began eating a piece of the sushi that he had bought earlier from another restaurant in the court, at least right before Hayley and her friends arrived. He used his chopsticks that came with the small tray to eat each piece one by one as if savoring the flavor.

Upon closer inspection, Hayley noticed that the type of sushi he was eating was unagi sushi, more specifically the eel kind. She was surprised as she had heard of it but never ate it given how squeamish she was when it came to eels. She herself preferred the shrimp kind of sushi or even the California rolls that most people didn't consider to be "true" sushi. She found herself staring at the way he was eating and couldn't help but notice how slow yet smooth his way of eating was. Wait, why am I so fixated on it? She thought to herself as she suddenly realized that the others were staring at her.

"Say, are you alright?" Lynne asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry I'm fine!" Hayley responded.

"Really? Cause you were drooling a bit there," Mikey pointed out, causing Hayley to blush.

"What?" she responded as she felt her lips and realized that there was in fact drool slowly coming out of her mouth. Her face turned into a brighter shade of red as she desperately tried to wipe it away with the nearest napkin she could find.

Though the others found her reaction hilarious (in an adorable and endearing way), they decided to hold their laughter for the sake of her dignity before going back to their conversation. Hayley remained quiet the whole time as she tried to finish her meal but couldn't help but notice that Zane was giving her a rather mysterious look as if he was searching through her soul. His piercing gaze seemed both intimidating but at the same time held a certain warmth that Hayley couldn't describe. The smile of his also seemed to be both gentle yet enticing, which made Hayley blush even more. The fact that he was quite easy on the eyes made it even more awkward, at least for her. What's wrong with me today? She thought to herself in embarrassment. Why am I feeling like this?

Once they finished their meal, they all bid each other farewell before going their separate ways. It was starting to get pretty dark so they all needed to get back to their respective homes as soon as they could. As the 3 girls boarded the next bus back to the campus, they began talking with each other over their day.

"Well that was a fun experience wasn't it?" Lynne asked Hayley who could only nod shyly.

"Y-yeah, it was," she replied in a meek tone as she clutched onto her shopping bag and purse.

"Oh Hayley, you're not worried about Zane are you?" Tasha asked in a teasing tone.

"N-no!" Hayley denied despite her tone betraying her.

"Well at least Zane likes you," Lynne remarked. "Though I'm surprised that he didn't mention how you slapped him last night and yelled at him earlier."

"Oh shoot I forgot!" Hayley realized. "I forgot to apologize to him for what happened!"

"Don't worry Hayley," Tasha reassured her while placing a consoling hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll understand. You could visit him tomorrow at his dorm if you'd like."

"Maybe," Hayley responded. "I'll think about it."